He cites 'political grandstanding by village council members,' who have discussed seceding from the county

Citing "political grandstanding by village council members," Cook County Board President Todd Stroger said Tuesday that he would not attend a scheduled meeting in Palatine on Wednesday night to discuss taxes and county services.

The session was expected to touch on a volatile topic among some northwest suburban communities: whether to secede from Cook County, a move some officials favor because of the county's recent sales tax increase.

Stroger was upset about the format of the session -- a special Village Board meeting, which Palatine officials said was necessary under the state's Open Meetings Act.

"It became apparent the format was manipulated such that the forum would no longer be community based," Stroger said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon. "This change in format diminishes the ability of the community to voice their concerns and instead allows for political grandstanding by village council members."

Despite Stroger's last-minute decision not to come, the meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Wojcik Conference Center of Harper College, said Palatine council member Scott Lamerand.

"I'm not sure how we're grandstanding," Lamerand said. "I think it's us asking questions and looking at ways we can work together to control costs. To ask for a dialogue with President Stroger, I think, was completely appropriate. I don't think canceling the day before is."

State Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine), who supports the secession of seven townships in northwest Cook County, also criticized Stroger's last-minute cancellation.

"It's another disappointing lack of respect by Todd Stroger for the northwest suburbs," Murphy said.

Murphy, who has proposed legislation that would make secession easier, said the format of the meeting should not be an issue.

"This is just a ruse to get out of coming, and not face the public," he said.

Talk of secession and the creation of a new "Lincoln County" were popular among some northwest suburban communities in the 1970s.

But it was the 1 percentage-point sales tax hike the Cook County Board approved in February that revived the rumblings of rebellion.

Some Cook County suburbs located near the borders of lower-tax counties worry that the tax hike, approved with the strong support of Stroger and his allies, will harm many local businesses.

Murphy said he wanted to ask Stroger about that during the meeting.

"I would have wanted to know: 'Did you know how you imperil our area and our businesses when you passed this sales tax?'" Murphy said.

By early July, when both the county sales tax hike and a 0.25 percentage-point increase for the RTA will be in effect, Palatine's sales-tax rate will be 10 percent. In some Lake County communities a short drive away, it will be 7 percent.

Palatine officials last month asked Stroger to explain the $426 million-a-year tax hike, and asked the village manager and village attorney to look into ways Palatine might secede.

"I remain committed to addressing the concerns raised by county residents," Stroger's statement read. "To that end, I will be attending community meetings throughout northwest Cook County in the coming weeks."

Stroger spokesman Eugene Mullins said Tuesday that several meetings are being set up but that locations and dates have not been made final.

"They are in scheduling," he said, adding that he could not say how many there will be.

In his statement, Stroger said he wanted to talk to residents face-to-face.

"That is the very reason why I planned to travel to Palatine," he said. "However, I will not debate local Palatine elected officials who expect to exploit this opportunity to further their own political agendas."

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jjlong@tribune.com

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